State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, AKA Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary ...
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State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, AKA Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China. 'The Road from Hainan' follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors.Written by
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Director Nanfu Wang took risks to film the human rights abuse in China, smuggled the footage out, and produced this documentary. Ye Haiyan, the protagonist of this film, is an ordinary yet unordinary Chinese woman. She came from the rural area, but refused to go on a usual road. She knew that a lot of women who share similar background with her choose to be sex workers out of poverty and despair. For a long time, her activism was centered on sex workers' rights. But in the early summer of 2013, there was a case about a principle raping several underage girls. Ye was furious, and she decided to do something to prevent things like this from happening again in China. However, the road was full of unpleasant surprises and dangers.

Due to China's increasing economic clout, we are losing sight of what terrible things are happening in China. This documentary is a must-see, and this will be the first step of change.

14 of 16 people found this review helpful.
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